The Opposite of Hate
by berry-berry
Summary: Year 6 at Hogwarts springs into life with more challenges, intrigue, passion and deception then ever before. Draco hates Harry. Harry hates Draco - but for how long? Draco x Harry SLASH (rated R for later chapters) CHAPTER 2 UP - R&R!
1. Another Year at Hogwarts

**AUTHORS NOTE: **This is my first attempt at Draco/Harry slash - although I've loved this pairing since the very first time I came to know the Harry Potter series.

I'm an avid Draco Malfoy/Tom Felton follower - in my opinion you couldn't have possibly casted a better actor as Draco then Tom. Dead sexy... with the perfect smirk.

Ah yeh, so besides that, although I'm a pretty huge HP fan - there may be some faults here and there (just to let you know), so go easy on me.

I'll go on writing this story regardless, but if you all would like me to continue posting chapters on fanfiction.net, please take the time to review after you've read it! This includes Constructive Criticism (although I will try and justify my actions or explain my reasons if it comes to that ^^) - but please, no flames! I'll just end up deleting them anyway (or ridicule them - after all, what's the point of them on here really? if you don't LIKE a story then just don't read it!)

Anyways [/rant] ^^ - enjoy the story, let me know what you like & hate & whatever!! Thanks!! -Strawberry**__**

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**_THE OPPOSITE OF HATE_**

A Harry/Draco yaoi.

(Yaoi is male/male sex, so if you don't like it... don't read it!)

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_CHAPTER ONE_ - Another Year at Hogwarts.

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**DRACO**

Draco Malfoy sat up in bed, eyes wide... breathing hard... heart beating fast - his mind a flurry of confusion. 

The nightmare was fresh in his mind, as if it had been reality rather then a single frantic thought manifested in the far reaches of his sub-conscious mind.

_Draco had stood in front of his father, head dipped slightly and clothed similarly in black Death Eater's garb which was also worn by the circle of hooded figures surrounding them. The only light amongst a void of darkness illuminated from two crackling torches held by members of the brotherhood._

_And Lucius Malfoy's voice had sounded strangely eerie and alien, even in the ears of his son._

_"It is time." he had proclaimed in a quiet hiss, fixing Draco with a look that held non of it's usual high-class authority but purely one of stern forbearance that said:_

_'Disobey me and face the dire consequences.'_

_The hooded teenager spoke not a word throughout the whole procedure - eventually offering his wrist up for the induction ritual._

_The stillness of the moment was shattered, however, when loud calls where heard nearing them in the darkness._

_Draco's eyebrows had shot up in recognition at the fearless... but strangely desperate tone in the familiar voice that greeted him._

_The first introduction of the intruders into their space was the glinting of firelight against the smooth surface of round, slim-framed glasses._

_Ah yes. It had to have been them. _

_The three bloody musketeers of the wizarding world._

_Led by Potter, as always._

**_Bloody_**_ Potter..._

_Even now, standing amongst a circle of  Death Eaters that outnumbered his little posse twenty to one, his face blazed with intense indignation - exuding a strength that made Draco tremble as Harry's eyes met his own.. In a way he'd never experience before._

_When he spoke his voice still held no trace of fear, his gaze was clear and steady, never breaking contact with that of his long-time rival._

_Potter was once again - albeit, for the very last time - offering him an ultimatum._

_And once again - as the torches blazed brightly around him, standing amidst the scathing heat of hexes building around him - he found himself torn between two impossible decisions._

Draco raked a hand through his sleep-tousled hair nervously, a scowl finding his face. 

It had seemed so real... each and every time he had that nightmare... but never before had Potter been a part of it... until the previous night.

It was bad enough he had to see The Boy Who Lived frequently throughout the day, now he was haunting his _sleep_?!

Sliding out from under silky green sheets adorned with the Malfoy family crest, Draco grabbed a towel and headed toward the communal shower, pushing all thoughts besides the events ahead in the day out of his mind.

Gregory Goyle had already claimed a cubicle when Draco entered, and was currently singing some muggle song in a painfully out-of-tune voice.

Recently it seemed to have become an obsession of the dimwitted wizard's, probably due to the fact that muggle culture and style of any sort was pretty much forbidden at Hogwarts - something Draco himself never objected to, after all, why would anyone want to stoop to the level of a pathetic mudblood?

Goyle, on the other hand, had accidentally overheard a Hufflepuff junior listening to music on a compact disc player in his time off, hidden behind a suit of armor in a hallway - and naturally, because he found himself intrigued by the device and the sound it was giving off, nabbed it and threatened to beat the kid up if he told anyone. The little wizard had been so terrified that he'd fainted cold on the spot, leaving the burly senior to beat a hasty retreat.

What really got to Draco wasn't so much the fact that Goyle was listening to and _enjoying_ the art of a lower-class culture, but that he seemed to religiously choose the time before bed to switch it on and drift off to sleep to its strains. This meant that Draco - who was an extremely light sleeper - was forced to hear the music right through 'till the end, even when Gregory's snores had risen to a deafening crescendo that indicated he was far from a conscious state of enjoying it.

Presently Draco was in a less-then-pleasant mood, and hearing the extremely poor rendition of an extremely poor art form in a bathroom choking with steam did nothing to change this.

Slamming the door shut to his chosen cubicle, the blonde-haired Slytherin undressed and pulled out his wand - casting a quick silencing spell to put an end to the torture he'd had to endure.

Goyle, singing at the top of his lungs beneath the heavy spray of the other shower was immediately choked of, and gaping - wondered what the hell had happened. It was only when he took a peek under the door of his cubical and noticed, some distance away, the set of delicately pale feet that could only belong to one person, that recognition dawned on his face and he rolled his eyes - wrapping a towel around his generous waist and exiting the bathroom.

Switching the water on and adjusting the temperature, Draco allowed the cool spray to wash over his body - massaging his skin and tracing invisible patterns across it before being swept away with a gurgle down the drain.

Despite his resolve to push the thought of the extremely annoying individual that gate-crashed his nightmare out of his mind, somehow it wormed it's way back in - and he could do little but scowl as the wheels in his head turned and the water from the shower-head beat down on his upturned face.

He hated that self-important, sinlessly oblivious, scar-faced little god-boy. With his messy brown mop, ridiculously nerdy glasses, skinny arms and legs with knobby elbows and knees... and worst of all.. Endlessly positive intentions.

It was sickening, really.

It was only when Draco began to dry himself, a short time later, that he realized he had a painfully hard erection - immediately causing a blush to rise to his cheeks and a curse to escape his lips.

For Merlin's sake... he only wished it wasn't caused by the thought of... _Potter_.

Draco shuddered... and it wasn't from the cool shower he'd had, either.

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**HARRY**

Harry had woken up that morning, first official day back at Hogwarts for the year, in a wonderfully positive mood.

After spending the holidays with the Weasleys on their little farm, he'd arrived at the school a week early - with Dumbledore's consent - to prepare for the birthday which, in the muggle world, was known as ones 'sweet sixteenth'.

It was _Harry's_ birthday, of course, and this year the headmaster had been only too happy to throw a gigantic party amongst all of the students of Hogwarts, to celebrate the savior of the wizarding world and 'child prodigy'... or something.

Ginny Weasley, his girlfriend of some weeks, had quite fondly dubbed him with that title - as much as he secretly disliked it. But when she looked at him with such unconcealed love in her eyes... he couldn't help but give her the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway, currently Harry was lounging in the Gryffindor common room, frowning slightly and wondering why Ron was taking so long to meet him there. 

When he'd gotten out of bed and pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose, noticing that the curtains around his friend's bed were drawn tightly, Harry had simply assumed he needed the sleep, and left the room - knowing how he himself hated to have them ripped open, exposed to the day at a time when he didn't feel ready to face it.

But that had been well over two hours ago, he was sure. In that time he'd already played two games of extremely one-sided wizards chess - amusing himself with the antics of an infuriated knight who, after being forced into checkmate several times and successfully dodged the attacks of other pieces, lost his temper and proceeded to 'gallop' around smashing everything in sight. Also, at some point during that time, Harry had even found himself bored enough to flick through a copy of - which he assumed was Hermione's - 'A Complete History of Hogwarts'.

Finally though, "sleeping beauty" appeared at the bottom of the stares, yawning widely and fixing his friend with a dazed look through half-closed eyes.

"'Morning, Harry!"

Harry was extremely close to giving Ron a piece of his mind, but on seeing the condition of his face and clothes - burst out laughing.

"What's the joke? Come on, share!" The red-head wore a goofy, yet puzzled look on his face.

And that wasn't the only thing he was wearing.

"Ron, have you looked in the mirror at all this morning?!" Harry chuckled, wiping some stray tears from his eyes and grinning. "I'm guessing you indulged in some late-night snacking... judging from your pajamas and face..."

"Oh yeah, that would have been the chocolate frogs." He explained, after wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I found some galleons that someone must have dropped, on the train yesterday and bought a heap of junk from the trolley - you should see my stash, its brilliant!"

Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled despite himself. It was just like Ron - even at the steadily maturing age of sixteen, he still found the greatest delight in much the same things he did as a first-year at Hogwarts. 

"Where's 'Mione?" Ron inquired, bringing his friend back to the present.

"The library - she wanted to check up something to do with a potion we're supposed to be making in Snape's class... no idea what _of_, mind you - but she promised to meet up with us for breakfast, so let's go.

"Right  ...And Ginny?"

"Off practicing some choice quidditch moves - she's really counting on making the team this year, and I'm hoping for it too. Frankly, we've lost a lot of good players over the last few years... Slytherin might even beat us this time around."

"Pfft - as long as it comes down to you and Malfoy, they don't stand a chance."

"Yeah..."

Harry fixed Ron with a reassuring smile at this... but deep down he wasn't so sure....

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**DRACO**

Draco stood in front of the full-length mirror by his bed-side, trying to ignore the overly-plump lady who resided in it. She looked much like the woman from the portrait that served as the entrance to the Gryffindor common room - probably a relative - if only she had the same snobbish poise, maybe then the strikingly good-looking blonde could get some peace from her constant cooing and gushing at his appearance.

"My dear, may I say you look simply dashing this morning - all the Slytherin girls will be absolutely beside themselves with lust!"

"Shut up, will you? I can't concentrate." Draco shot in annoyance, fixing her with a glare before squirting a small amount of gel into the palm of his hand.

"Ah yes! The gel is the perfect touch - as always! Say, what brand do y--"

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

"Oh hush! Allow me this small time of day." She finished, eyeing the way Draco ran the hand with the gel on it through his hair to sleekly add more dimension. It wasn't the same as his first years at Hogwarts, these days he used much less styling products and focused on keeping a certain rebellious, though neat (and definitely sexy), edge to it - a few strands falling onto his forehead. His hair wasn't long, ending neatly just above the nape of his neck so it softly showed up the 'v' of the hairline against his neck.

He was by far the best-looking boy at Hogwarts.

Finishing with one last once-over, he threw a casual farewell toward the lady in his mirror and headed out for breakfast.

Somewhere along the way, Crabbe and Goyle managed to catch up to him - flanking him on either side and following behind like obedient canines. Although dogs obviously possessed larger brain capacities... and slobbered less.

Pushing open the double-door entrance to the Great Hall, Draco made his usual advance toward the Slytherin table - turning heads in the process but ignoring each and every one of them.

No indeed - the only individual he found his eyes drawn to was currently cracking a joke which resulted in Ron Weasley squirting pumpkin juice out of his nose.

Filthy Weasley... no manners whatsoever... but then, he hardly expected otherwise from _that_ family.

Draco continued to regard Harry with a heavy scowl on his face as he ate breakfast, feeling the familiar dislike filter heavily through his body. It made him feel extremely pleased with himself, especially after the way his body had reacted earlier that morning.

The 'boy-wonder' had indeed changed somewhat over the months that had passed since Draco had last seen him. His chin and jaw-line had lost some of their softness in favour of a slightly more chiseled look, and arms which he remembered to be somewhat skinny -- with knobby elbows, were now toned and lightly tanned.

All in all he did look quite good... but still nothing for Draco to feel threatened over... yet.

He couldn't help but notice as a flushed red-head came flouncing into breakfast some time later, placing a kiss on Harry's mouth before sitting down beside him.

_'So Potter has a girlfriend... I would never have guessed.'_

Draco smirked at the hilarity of it - it was just too predictable that Potter would end up with Ginny Weasley after all - they were practically looked upon as a canon couple ever since the incident with Tom Riddle and his diary back in second year, even though it seemed they'd only officially gotten together during the school break.

Somewhere amongst the predictability of it all, Draco felt an odd stab of anger, and promptly hacked the piece of toast on his plate into little pieces.

Blaise Zambini, who had been watching the blonde for some time now, chose that moment to speak. "Problem, Draco?"

"Of course not!" he snapped, after a moment.

"Yeah okay - so you decided to massacre your breakfast _why_ exactly?"

"I wasn't hungry."

"So you thought it was only fitting that you made the food on your plate inedible for everyone else?"

"Shut up, Zabini."

A moment later, Blaise reached into the folds of his robe and withdrew a few chocolate frogs - one of which he offered to Draco.

And, after staring at the sweet with the same intense anger with which he'd regarded his breakfast for a while, he eventually accepted and began to unwrap it.

"What card did you get?" Blaise asked with a frown, eyeing Draco as he set the enchanted frog loose on the table and it proceeded to hop all over the place.

Pulling back the folds of cardboard, the smirk on the blonde Slytherin's face promptly fell and he glared in disbelief.

'I can't believe..! I mean... what in the..! I got _Potter_!"

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November 10th, 2003. Disclaimer: Harry Potter, etc is ©JK Rowling, Warner Bros. & all that jazz - I just own this story idea and events which take place in it. ^^__


	2. Quidditch practice gone fullblown

**AUTHORS NOTE: **Thanks so much to the two people who reviewed chappy 1 ^^ I hope you enjoy chapter 2 as much!

Dragenphly,  I have to agree about the HarryxGinny pairing - I myself can't stand Harry or Draco with anyone but each other, but I thought I'd throw Ginny in to spice it up a little for later on, when Draco does start getting hot for our Golden Boy ^^

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**_THE OPPOSITE OF HATE_**

A Harry/Draco yaoi.

(Yaoi is male/male sex, so if you don't like it... don't read it!)

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_CHAPTER TWO_ - Quidditch practice gone full-blown

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**DRACO**

Soft curls of smoke drifted lazily off into the warm afternoon air from the glowing tip of the cigarette Draco held lightly between two fingers, as he made his way down to the Quidditch field.

Nobody knew that the blonde Slytherin smoked - save for a few of the house-elves back home who had stumbled upon his guilty pleasure somewhat accidentally amid his previous visit back, and frankly Draco couldn't be more happy over this fact. Lucius disapproved of smoking wholeheartedly, so being discovered by his father was certainly far from the top of his list of priorities. Then of course there was the whole of Hogwarts... if he ever got caught by a teacher, or any of the students he happened to not get along with (which was the majority of all other houses besides his), he knew expulsion wouldn't be far behind. 

Merlin, that was the last thing he wanted!

Besides this, Draco didn't _need_ to smoke. He never found that when he couldn't have a cigarette he went mad with cravings for it - perhaps he was just immune to addiction - therefore, he simply did it during times when he needed to unwind and clear any particularly unwanted thoughts... which, after the morning's events, was exactly what he intended to do.

Blaise had been in an uproar after noticing Draco's wizarding card was of Harry Potter, and sure enough, with someone as loud as Zabini hollering his disbelief without a second thought - soon the whole of Slytherin house was informed of this irony.

"What are the odds?!" He'd gwaffed in disbelief, fixing the blonde with a look of extreme amusement. "Draco and our very own Golden Boy... now if _that_ isn't subliminal meaning...!"

Cool grey eyes had glared angrily up at him, narrowing dangerously as Blaise's blatant innuendo hit home. The wizarding card was slammed down onto the table with such force that it knocked over a goblet of pumpkin juice, alarming the boisterous boy into submission as he realized he'd pushed too far and quickly seated himself.

Draco had been seething. _Malfoys **never **got laughed at. **Ever**_. He would have been only too happy to plant a fist into Zambini's now quietly gloating face - had he not been so aware of the consequences and what they would mean for him.

Instead Draco had stood up, and without a word, picked up the wizarding card and exited the great hall.

The enchanted hologram of Harry was shying away from the right side of that card that had played victim to the wrath of the spilt pumpkin juice, in between shooting death-glares at the blonde Slytherin that carried him - and Draco attempted to pat the area dry. Not because he cared about the ridiculous image on it, but because he'd figured he could torture hologram Harry some when he was bored or particularly wrathful.

..Or at any given time throughout the day when he just wanted a good a laugh.

So now as he made his way off of the concrete walkways and onto soft grass, he pulled out the wizarding card and smirked down at it. _Time for some fun._

The glowing orange point of his cigarette hovered in front of Harry's holographic form, delighting Draco as he noticed the look of panic on its face. Bright green orbs behind ridiculous glasses followed the offending form that hovered so close, widening considerably when the burning point touched one translucent arm - sending the apparition shooting off in a wild frenzy for relief. Draco openly laughed. _Now if only that would have been the **real **Potter! _

Slipping the card back into his robes as he neared the wide grassy expanse of his destination, Draco found himself halted in his tracks by the sight that met him. _Potter?!_

Sure enough, The Boy Who Lived and his little Weasel girlfriend stood in the middle of the Quidditch field, fading sunlight shining down upon their animated forms as they discussed... well... _what_, the blonde had no idea.

Bringing the last remnants of his cigarette to his lips, Draco took one last puff from the butt before grinding it underfoot and focusing on what was happening in front of him.

As Potter and his girlfriend talked, occasionally the Slytherin would notice him gesturing towards different parts of the field, receiving nods in response - _ah yes_, discussing Quidditch strategies.

After a moment though, the couple simply stood looking at each other for a while - before Ginny reached out, cupping a hand against Harry's jaw and drawing him in for a lingering kiss. It really was lingering too - eventually leading them into each others arms for a more intimate experience.

Draco felt strangely put out by the display, for reasons he couldn't comprehend at that time (although it was probably just the sickening sight of who it was that was actually kissing), so instead of watching from afar as it all took place - he picked up his broom and advanced toward them, opting for a little one-on-one.

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**HARRY**

What was it about afternoons that made flying so much more enjoyable? 

Perhaps it was the vast array of colors that painted the cloudless sky in preparation for the evening to follow, or the way the sweltering heat of midday had cooled to a mild, gentle presence that was so much more bearable.

After lessons had finished for the day, Ginny had caught up with Harry as he made his way down to the Quidditch field. thoughts of his mention of Malfoy to Ron earlier that day had convinced him that he couldn't afford to let his skills grow rusty from lack of practice, especially against a seeker like Draco whom, Harry openly admitted, had grown so extremely good as a player that each game was an entirely new and unknown challenge for The Boy Who Lived.

Ginny had been flushed as she took hold of his arm, beaming up at him as he caught her eye.

"Harry! I'm so glad I managed to find you - I thought up the most brilliant Quidditch maneuver in potions! You're just gunna love it!" Harry smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"You have time to sit and think about those kinds of things when Snape's breathing down your neck?"

"Oh, he was too busy deducting points from Gryffindor because," she laughed, "Colin Creevey was running around taking photos of some kid who'd drank their dodgy potion and grew a third ear." 

"Snape's going to go prematurely grey at the rate everyone keeps screwing up and around in his classes - not that he doesn't deserve it." Harry grinned and shook his head, "Anyway, let's see this move you thought up - I don't want to think about lessons or teachers at a time like this."

So now both Gryffindors stood in the middle of the Quidditch field - Ginny giggling at her failed attempts at mounting a broom gracefully and Harry catching her whenever she fell off, which was often. After a moment though, when the initial period of hyper activeness had worn off and the two stood side by side, he began pointing out different aspects of the game that Ginny would need to take note of if she wanted to execute her new maneuver successfully.

She seemed to pay due attention to everything he told her, but soon enough Harry noticed her eyes where no longer focused on the places he was indicating - or even the words that he was speaking - but rather on the mesmerizing way his lips moved with each syllable that passed between them.

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes then, pushing back any annoyance he might have felt when she reached out and gently clasped his jaw - drawing his mouth against hers in a sweetened kiss.

Ginny's kisses tasted of vanilla and peaches - a taste that seemed to be uniquely hers. Harry hadn't kissed all that many girls before - only two in all - there'd been a few brief exchanges with Cho Chang over the mere week that they'd dated in year four, and one small snog from Parvati Patil on a dare the previous year. Each girl's kiss had tasted sweet on recollection - fruity and sweet and all the flavors of purity and innocent.

Harry didn't know why... or even _when _exactlyhe'd come to wonder whether anyone's kiss could taste differently to this. It seemed stupid to assume everyone's _would _be the same - after all, what if you didn't like fruity and sweet? He recalled the day when Seamus Finnigan had let it slip that himself and Dean Thomas where involved. Harry had been sitting in the common room with Ron, playing one of their usual games of wizard chess when it had all transpired. Ron, who had just stuffed a bunch of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans in his mouth (to see what the combined taste would be like), promptly choked on them all and had to be assisted by Hermione..

..Whilst Harry had covered a blush at the news and silently pondered what _boys_ would taste like.

He'd thought about it for the entire night, never voicing his mind of course, and after losing his sixth game of chess to Ron - wandered up to bed still pondering.

Of course, Harry fervently told himself that he wasn't curious to find out for _himself_, not in the least, but still - the thought never left his mind.

And now as he kissed Ginny, for the slightest moment he found himself imagining a firmer pair of lips under his, spicy and heated with desire, a probing tongue that found itself far more daring in its exploits... and Harry shivered uncontrollably with the sudden thrill.

A snide voice eventually brought the couple out of their intimate embrace.

"Well if this doesn't bring my lunch up, nothing will. _Really_ Potter!"

"Malfoy!" Harry's shock at the sudden interruption was quickly followed by the usual feeling of disgust that washed over him whenever a certain slimy git made his presence known. 'What the hell do _you_ want?"

"Go away and leave us alone!" Ginny piped up in annoyance, "Haven't you got someone else to torment?"

"Of course not, I made this time especially for the two of _you_." Draco sneered down at the youngest Weasley with the same distaste Harry had regarded him with, causing the girl to flush slightly in anger and grip tightly to her boyfriend's arm.

"What do you _want_, Malfoy?"

"I came here to practice, Potter - I would have thought that was pretty obvious!" He rolled his eyes and held up his broom, brushing past Harry and mounting it in one stylish movement that left both Gryffindors feeling slightly envious. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some new moves to perfect."

_New moves?  _Harry milled over this for a moment, before deciding that whatever said moves _were_ - he couldn't afford to let them go unnoticed, not with how unnaturally good Malfoy had gotten as a seeker over the past year.

So after a moment of watching the Slytherin prince circle lazily about the sky in warm-up laps, Harry mounted his broom (a lot less gracefully) and took flight to join him.

"Harry!! What are you doing? I was going to show you my new maneuver, remember?" Ginny called out after him.

"Sorry Ginny! Another day, okay? I can't let Malfoy gain the upper hand on me." 

Luckily Draco was too absorbed in his own existence to take note of Harry's words, although he didn't seem the least bit surprised when he caught sight of his rival circling nearby.

"What's a matter, Potter? Afraid your winning streak's coming to an end?"

"Shut up, Malfoy - you know that's never going to happen as long as you're Slytherin's seeker." The words were hollow in retrospect, but to Harry's delight - they still had the desired effect.

Draco's eyes narrowed angrily in the silence that followed, seemingly at a loss for words after the previous retort - but eventually he spat "Times are changing, _Potter_ - and unfortunately for you and all your little _fan girls_, you're about to take a tumble off your high-horse."

..And Harry found no response.

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**DRACO**

What was it about Potter? He was not only the single, most annoying git in the living universe, but also the only person Draco had ever known who could get to him with the slightest exchange - even if that didn't include words. Potter could simply stand in the same room as him, completely absorbed in his own little world, and the blond found himself itching with annoyance... and.. Jealousy too, he supposed.

During warm-ups he found himself regarding the Gryffindor seeker with a look of calculation and wonder. There was no doubt about it - Harry Potter was elite amongst the entire quidditch-playing population of Hogwarts, and it wasn't hard to see why.

The Boy Who Lived, clumsy and awkward as he was throughout each and every day - was a thundercat in the skies. His moves where controlled, precise, and executed with lightening speed.

When he took to the air people couldn't help but stare up at him as if he was the only one who existed. Okay, so they looked at him pretty much the same when he was tripping over his own feet in the hallways, but to Draco, it was really Harry's Quidditch skills that made time worthy of standing still.

Knowing that the only way he himself could possibly outmatch Potter in this field of expertise was to practice incessantly during every spare moment, Draco had done just that during the previous holidays.

And he was hopeful of the results.

Finally, after Harry drew up beside his Slytherin counterpart, Draco pulled a golden ball from his pocket and watched it unravel its wings. The snitch.

"You have one of your _own?!_" the Gryffindor gaped incredulously.

"Naturally - we're not all as financially _disabled_ as you and the _Weasleys_, Potter."

"I'm not 'financially disabled' - I'm almost as well off as you." The last part he mumbled incoherently to himself, unheard to Draco.

"Whatever, Scar-face. Let's just get started. I'll release the snitch and then we both wait three minutes before going after it, got it?"

"Yeah." Harry rolled his eyes. _Great - Three whole uneventful minutes alone with Draco, what fun_.

The snitch was then set free from the Slytherin's hand, taking a moment to orientate itself before speeding off into the fading afternoon sunlight and out of sight.

Harry took the moment of silence to peer over at his long-time rival from the corner of his eye, taking note of how much he'd changed since the previous year.

He'd grown taller for a start. Taller, and from what he could see from his vantage point - leaner too. Although his skin still remained its same pallid ivory color as always, the muscles underneath had grown toned and shapely due to what Harry guess was probably some form of exercise - seeing as manual labor to the Malfoys was out of the question. His fine blonde hair, which in the first two year at Hogwarts had been plastered to his scalp with industrial amounts of hair gel, seemed now to only accommodate the substance slightly, opting to allow wisps of the fine golden strands to fall softly against the sides of his forehead. His face had lost all traces of its former roundness that most young boys - including Harry - had been prone to, now revealing a softly sloping jaw line and full, but masculine, lips. Eyes which at one stage had been slightly washed out with blue in his youth - had changed to a deep, steely shade of grey that, for some reason, Harry found he'd like to see more clearly.

Draco, who had noticed his rival's supposedly 'discreet' inspection with a strange bout of nervousness, now turned to him with a gloating sneer. "Like what you see, Potter?"

Harry went a deep shade of vermillion and glared back at him in annoyance. "Of course not - there isn't anything to like about _you_, Malfoy!"

Draco snorted. _Not only has Potter become somewhat of a good liar, _he thought, _but his comebacks have drastically improved as well... stupid git._

"Three minutes are up." Harry announced with a glance at his watch. "Let's go."

He sped off without waiting for Draco's reply, leaving the Slytherin to take his own direction after a moment's contemplation.

So the two seekers began their well-known ritual of circling slowly about in the sky, stopping occasionally when something that could have been a flicker of gold from the snitch caught their eye - but it usually turned out to be nothing of interest.

Sometime during this practice, Ginny (who was still standing where Harry had originally left her) began to grow impatient with waiting and took to calling out for her boyfriend to rejoin her.

"Harry! Come on - I _really_ want to show you this move!!"

"I'll be there in a moment Ginny, just let me catch the snitch first - ok?" Was his pleading reply.

Draco, who was slightly disjointed from the youngest Weasley's constant verbal intrusions on his concentration, couldn't help but snort at his rival.

"That isn't going to happen, Potter - the snitch is _mine_. Why don't you just listen to the little Weasel and run along now!"

"Geez... _Shut up_, will you? Your voice is really annoying - has anyone ever told you that? Anyway, there's no way you're getting that snitch - new moves or not!"

Draco glared across at Harry after this comment, although he doubted it did much good - they flew quite a distance apart as they scanned the skies for their prize, and the other boy wasn't paying any visible attention to him.

"_Har~ry!_" Ginny began again - causing the blonde to grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Will you just _leave_ already, Weasel?! Your _boyfriend_ is busy at the moment - trying to protect his _reputation_," Draco sneered "Although personally I don't see what he _has_ left to lose... that is," he added with a mocking grin "besides his v-"

"Malfoy! You're just... you're so disgusting!!" Ginny cried out, cutting him off. She wrinkling her nose in distaste and threw a hasty goodbye to Harry before storming off. 

Draco just laughed. "I'm right though, aren't I!"

"Sod off, will you? It's none of your business either way," was the raven-haired boy's response.

"No need to be ashamed, Potter - frankly I don't blame you for not wanting to _touch_ her!" 

This time he was greeted with silence, but he hardly took note of this - because between himself and the Golden Boy he presently caught sight of that familiar glint, and could already feel the sweet taste of his first victory... so close!

Kicking out the back of his broom, Draco plunged down toward the ground - twirling into a frenzied spin that increased his speed tenfold. 

This was one of the moves he'd been perfecting during his time away from Hogwarts - and although it certainly would give him a great advantage against any seeker who tried a regular dive (Potter, for example), it also had its cons. The worst think about the spin dive was that it demanded _extreme_ control to pull out of when it came time to level off.

Harry, who had finally noticed his rival's drastic plunge - hovered transfixed as he watched him. The whole maneuver was so amazingly graceful that the Gryffindor found himself rendered speechless.

Draco was a flurry of robes and pale skin as he descended - but because of the twirling motion (which was making Harry a little queasy even as he merely spectated), the deep green cloth seemed to mould around his lean form in a mesmerizing perfect dance.

_How is Malfoy... someone so cold and unfeeling, capable of such beauty?_

It took a moment for Harry to snap out of the trance that had fallen over him and realize, once again, what his main objective was. _The snitch!_

And he saw it there - practically hovering on the spot... as if beckoning both boys to catch it - the late afternoon sunlight winking off its ridged form in temptation.

Harry dove without a second thought, butterflies springing to life in his stomach at the manifestation of Malfoy triumphantly claiming the snitch in his mind. _No way_ was he letting that happen - and as if to reinforce this thought, he lent further forward on his broom in the hope of increased momentum.

Draco had pulled out of his spin dive by now, and was currently speeding head-on towards the prize. It would be his! He could already see it in his hand - _Just a little further!_

Reaching out as far as his arm would allow - the Slytherin flailed blindly for the winged ball that still hovered just out of his reach. _Come on!! _

And then it happened.

Harry's glasses, which had slowly slipped down his nose unnoticed as the boy concentrated on making up for the ground he'd lost to Malfoy - dropped off completely.

And The Boy Who Lived was flying blind.

The butterflies that had fluttered merrily about in his stomach dropped like flies - replaced by wild, unrelenting panic.

_Merlin! I-I can't see where I'm going!!_

Harry presently had no way of being able to judge how close he was from the ground, and when he eventually pulled his broom up to level out somewhat shakily, Draco was approaching from an angle.

The rest was a blur of motion, a tangle of happenings that neither boy could control.

Harry's foot caught awkwardly on the ground seconds after he'd straightened up, ripping at the appendage so violently that a cry of agony was ripped from his throat. He knew he'd broken his ankle at that moment, but it hardly seemed worth taking note of for what was just about to happen.

Draco had still been intently focused on the snitch, envisioning the victory that he so sorely craved after all those years.

His index finger was so close to that glowing gold orb... so very close! Yes! Contact! And then...

He didn't know what hit him - but something impacted, _HARD_.

There wasn't even time for a shout of protest before Draco found himself landing heavily on the ground, jarring his gut before he was caught up in a mad roll across the grass - tangled hopelessly amidst lengths and lengths of Quidditch robes, before eventually coming to a standstill.

He hurt too... Merlin, how he _hurt!_

A long moment passed as he willed the pain away, and as it gradually faded... he noticed his 'position'.

Draco lay flat on his back - pinned down by a weight that lay heavily against him, and it was only as he moved an arm that the bulk shifted somewhat.

_Potter._

_Potter lying... Potter lying on top of me?!_

Of course, this realization only made him struggle more, eventually causing protests to emerge from between small gasps of pain from his injuries.

"Potter! For Merlin's sake - _get off me!_"

A pained groan was his only response, resulting in more struggling from the blonde.

"Potter!!! _Dammit!_ Move your scrawny beanpole of a body _OFF ME!!_"

Yet more moments passed without much result. It was only as Draco managed to free a hand and poke the Gryffindor in the ribs that Harry finally stirred and managed to look up at his rival - confusion and pain clouding his vision.

"M-Malfoy?!"

"Obviously! If you don't get off _RIGHT NOW_, I swear I'll hex you into next week!!"

"I'm--We're tangled. Tangled up!" Harry gaped, as he too struggled to free himself, grunting in pain at the action.

Draco continued to wriggle about, desperation clawing at him. The Gryffindor's body was pressed so tightly up against his... and those eyes that looked down at him... they were so damn... so damn _green_.

_Merlin... how he **hated** Harry Potter!_

Eventually, they managed to separate - one furious, embarrassed Slytherin and a confused, pained Gryffindor.

"My ankle... It's broken." Harry gasped, drawing in a hissing breath at the pang of agony that shot up his leg when he moved.

"Tell it to someone who cares!" Draco simply shot, dusting himself off without sparing another glance at the raven-haired boy that lay at his feet.

"Get lost then, it's not as if I need you here anyway!"

"I don't intend to stay! Why would I waste time with the likes of _you_?"

"My sentiments exactly! Oh, and Malfoy?" Harry called out, as the blonde began to walk away.

"_What is it?_"

"You might want to try breath-mints - you reek of cigarettes."

"Is that so?" Draco snapped in response, allowing a sneer to pass over his face from where he stood. "Oh look, Potter, it's your nerd glasses! Here, I'll-_OOPS!_" 

Harry simply sighed when he heard the crunch and splinter of glass, followed by a satisfied chuckle.

Then there was just silence.

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November 25th, 2003. Disclaimer: Harry Potter, etc is ©JK Rowling, Warner Bros. & all that jazz - I just own this story idea and events which take place in it. ^^


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